Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Roy Chapman Andrews is one of those guys that was so awesome he seems almost fictional. In the glory days of exploration and adventure, the early 1900's when science and action went hand in hand, Andrews was but one of many men who blazed trails through untamed wilds in the name of science. He did a great deal to bring paleontology into the public eye, namely by traveling deep into the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and retrieved fossilized eggs and bones.

He was one of those men that was adored in his own time and beloved by the public for being the kind of awesome adventurer most people wanted to be. And better yet, the discoveries he made were real! This was when ancient ruins in Egypt and South America were being discovered and fired up the public imagination. Even my beloved Edgar Rice Burroughs says that he was inspired by Andrews and his exploits. Wow, when your resume can say that you were the basis for one of the most influential authors of an entire century, you know that you're awesome!

I don't know about you, but I find it wonderfully comforting knowing that there was such a surprising multitude of genuine adventurers of this caliber that were real, living, breathing people.

Ahhh, and what did I discover upon poking around a bit on the web? None other than some of his exploits that he recorded! Okay, sure, some journals written even by the coolest trekkers can come across as kind of stale, but I certainly won't turn down this opportunity to check out things from the perspective of a man widely believed to have been the inspiration for Indiana Jones.
As a side note, I'd just like to voice my opinion that I do not believe he actually was. George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg both said that their character was not based on Andrews, and I believe them. They did say that they based him off of old action characters from serials and pulp from the 40's and 50's. Y'know, the era when creators were basing sodding everything off of real life and making it even more entertaining. I think the connections are circumstantial, simply basing Jones off of serial characters who were based off of Andrews himself. Simple, no?

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to devour these two journals! I may even later on do a more in depth analysis on Andrews in the future. Who knows? It's kinda hard not to write about him!
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4301

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

At last, my computer lives again! Took sodding long enough. Again, I apologize to anyone who has been waiting for my progress. I still have to transfer my old data back and finish editing, but I should be done by late December.

Oh, and for those of you who don't want to check up on this blog every day for updates, I have in fact made a Facebook page specifically for major updates for Primal Frontier. Hopefully this will make things more convenient for all five of you who are interested. Here ya'll go!https://www.facebook.com/pages/Primal-Frontier/239895766204620

Huh? What's that editor? Tell them what? But everyone else already does that... They sound like they're begging. Oh, okay, fine.
Ahem, if you happen to use Facebook and want to support Primal Frontier, please like and share if the chance presents itself. I'd really appreciate it! :)

Oh, and Happy Almost Thanksgiving! I know what I'm thankful for, whoo!

Saturday, November 15, 2014

This here is just a quickie review to tide ya'll over while I try to Frankenstein my computer back to life, which is only slightly harder than getting water to burn with a magnifying glass. Sigh. I don't get paid enough for this crap.

Anyway, I just recently finished reading Coyote: The Outlander, the first in a book series mixing elements of Steampunk and the Weird West. Let me just say that this book is frigging awesome and I have very few complaints. Our protagonist going by the name of Coyote, is a smokin' hot female bounty hunter and quick draw gunslinger hunting down interdimensional criminals who are causing problems in the West, and she's just the gal to whip them into line! Already, from the premise alone, you know this is something special.

I mean, come on! Bounty hunters, dimensional travel, strange weapon technology, what's not to like? Right away I responded well to the author's writing style. Crisp, clear and with a distinct voice. Sure, she does a bit too much telling at points, but that's hardly enough to put a dent into this piece.

Coyote is a pretty fun character and actually quite well defined, feeling more like a real person but at the same time does have a pulpy flavor to her. I don't think this is written intending to be pulp, but I do get the vibe that this is a character that female readers can latch onto. I mean, let's face it: Gals just haven't had nearly as many action role models as guys. We've got Tarzan, John Carter, Conan, Solomon Kane, the Sackett's, Master Chief and innummerable others. Ladies don't have quite as many, and those that do actually survive are usually pounded into the ground by crappy games and creepy fanart.

But not so with Coyote! She's drop-dead gorgeous, determined, darned clever, deadly with a handgun and ready to kick arse at the drop of a hat, this gal is pretty darned cool! A bunch of snooty jerks who've never written a thing in their lives will more than likely accuse her of being a Mary Sue and that the character should be burned at the stake for having so many awesome traits rolled into one. Well you know what? Screw those guys. Coyote is awesome! And remember, I'm the guy who spends most of his freetime trying to find new ways to be manly. So shut up and enjoy the awesome.

I don't want to explain the whole story here as this is a quickie, but I'll try to tack out the basics. Coyote gets hired to hunt down a creature that has come through a Rip, a tear in the fabric of space I believe, that is eating children and in general just being a jerk. So, Coyote has to acquire a particle beam pistol to kill the darned thing cuz her regular six shooter just can't penetrate his hide, and then track the poor sap down and reduce him to an unpleasant memory.

Sounds straightforward enough, and it is, but there is an astonishing amount of detail given to fleshing out character and history here. Like wow, I was genuinely not expecting some of the twists that took place in this story. I don't get blind-sided like that easily, so that's saying something. There are also points where the story has the sort of intensity that makes you clench up tight enough to crack your molars. Most of the pacing is pretty liezurely, but wow there is one chapter early on that almost made my muscles lock up. Now that is cool!

I won't provide spoilers here, so try taking my word for it. This is a story well worth reading and I plan on reading more in the future when I can afford it. There are some attatched games and codes tied in with the chapters, but I haven't messed with those yet. This here be about the book.

Let's see... I don't want to sound like I'm totally sucking up, so I'd better mention something that I didn't like. Hmmm... Um, give me a second... I already mentioned how on occasion the author does a bit too much telling, but that's small potatoes. Erm... Oh! Okay, the only other thing that actually seemed not really cool to me was the fact that Coyote didn't gun down an entire orchestra worth of bad guys. Minor spoiler, but she actually doesn't kill anyone in this story. Most of the meat and potatoes goes to fleshing out her character, which I really shouldn't be complaining about. Maybe it's just the dude in me, but I would have liked to have seen her shoot three or four guys with her six-shooter and then strike a fun Power Rangers pose. Well, maybe that'll be in the next book!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Just when I get a role on editing and set a release date, my computer has to succumb to the evils of the online world and is completely corrupted by viruses. I'm only able to write this now because I hijacked someone else's computer when they weren't looking.

So I'm rather irked, being unable to work on my writing at all. Just looking at my sodding rough draft is now a hassle and risks infecting other stuff. Bugger all. At least with a severed internet connection I could still edit and play Fallout 3. But having my entire setup wrecked? Infuriating.

Sigh. But I refuse to give up. This is but a setback and I shall inevitably make a comeback! On the plus side I've been able to dedicate a nigh unhealthy amount of time and effort to reading. Looking through some older literature I had picked up but not had the time to look through that I'd lifted from a thrift store, I discovered a heretofore untapped goldmine of knowledge! Part of the reason I never delved into the thing before is because there is no blurb on the back. Perhaps it once had a fancy dust cover but has since gotten lost. I swear the thing must be older than my dad though, as I've only seen a few books with this type of cover and binding. Quite curious indeed, since it's in amazing shape!

Anywhat, the book is called Gun Notches by Thomas Rynning, true tales of a genuinely great frontiersman. How I haven't heard of this guy before shall forever elude me, but I'm now delighted that I have this copy. It's not meant as a chest beater nor is it a rigid factual recitation. Rather it is a collection of stories and recollections from a man rich with life experience and putting them down on paper for future generations to enjoy. And boy howdy does it fit the bill! A fan of all things Western this guy provides a legion of little known knowledge that I'd never heard of before, everything from cowboy dressing to horse-riding tricks.